President Trump landed in Qatar on Wednesday and met with the nation’s leaders, becoming the first U.S. president to make an official state visit to the Gulf monarchy.

Qatar, a small Gulf nation, has gained outsized influence in U.S. politics, education, media, and diplomacy through its vast wealth. It comes as Trump is facing backlash from both the left and right sides of the political divide about wanting to accept a $400 million jet from the Qatari royal family to serve as the next Air Force One. Trump, defended the gift in the wee hours of the morning (4:05 a.m. local time 🥱) on Truth Social.

BY THE NUMBERS
Over the last two decades, The Free Press reports, Qatar has spent nearly $100 billion in the U.S. to build up its reputation and influence. Here’s where they spent some of that money over the last 20 years:

$6 billion to American colleges: Qatar is the largest foreign funder of U.S. schools in the world.
- There are campuses in Doha for American schools like Georgetown, Cornell, and Northwestern.

Public opinion & media:

$224 million on lobbying and PR: In 2021 alone, they spent $51 million. By comparison, Saudi Arabia spent $25 million and the UAE spent $35 million.
$50 million to Newsmax, a conservative news site, the royal family also funds Al Jazeera and AJ+.

$8 billion on the U.S. military’s Al Udeid Air Base — Qatar hosts and completely pays for the Pentagon’s primary logistical hub in the Middle East.
- As a result of all that investment, the U.S. is selective about what it criticizes Qatar about publicly - and when.

It comes as the nation plans to gift Trump, through the Department of Defense, a $400 million jet to be used as Air Force One. The offer is facing pushback from Democrats and some Republicans who don’t trust Qatar due to its foreign policy, funding of Hamas, support for the Muslim Brotherhood, and ties to Iran and the Taliban, among other concerns.